Big Brake upgrade kits for the mk3 VW Jetta and Passat TDI

The brakes in the 96-97 passat and 96-99 jetta TDI can be upgraded to larger
rotors and pistons to give you better braking.

Before you spend money on
big brakes, try using more aggressive rotors and brake pads to increase braking
feel because it's cheaper and may satisfy you. Make sure that
the brake fluid is flushed, clean, and has no air bubbles. If you have to
press twice on the brake pedal to get sufficient braking action there may be an
air bubble in the lines. Also remember that without enough tire traction
to take advantage of bigger brakes, a brake kit is totally useless! Below is more detailed information on big brake
kit conversions.

Because it is so important to know some general braking info, please read
1000 answered questions: basic brake tips and busting big brake kit myths. It includes brake
pad/rotor info applicable to all cars, such as race vs street brake pads,
drilled vs plain rotors, which direction the brake slots should point, and
lightweight rotors. It may also show you why you may not want a big brake
upgrade!

The suspension is another major factor in braking performance. A worn
suspension changes the way the brakes are supposed to behave. VW TDI
suspensions are soft and tend to be worn out by 100,000 miles. New struts,
strut bearings, mounts, control arm bushings, and anti-sway bar bushings in the
front will do a lot to restore the handling and braking bias on your VW.
The rears need new mounts and struts. If your car feels like a heaving
hovercraft then a big brake kit won't do much.

Disclaimer: Before you attempt any brake work on your car, refer to the
factory service manual and follow all precautions. Any and all information
presented on this website is superseded by the official service manual and is
not a substitute for the services or advice of a certified professional
mechanic. See the TOS Agreement for the full legal disclaimer. If the brakes are faulty or
if there's air in the lines, tow it to a mechanic and do not attempt to drive the car.
Faulty brakes can result in an accident or loss of control so have your local
garage do it if you're not qualified to work on the brakes.

The stock front brakes for the 1996-early 1999 a3 jetta and the 1996-1997 b4 passat are the
same. They both use a single piston "g54" floating brake caliper with 256mm vented rotor
x 20mm width with 4 lug
holes. Some easier options are to convert to the corrado g54 brake setup,
girling g60 brake setup, or swap to a 5 lug pattern hub and/or use aftermarket brake
kits. You will probably need 15" wheels or larger for brake
clearance. Note: The supercharged 4 cylinder engine (G60 Corrado) single piston calipers are
called "g54", but are not the same as the TDI "g54" single piston calipers,
and are not to be confused with "girling g60 dual piston" calipers -
these are all different parts. To help avoid confusion in this article, I
will refer to caliper names in lower case "g60, g54", and the corrado
G60's model name in upper case "G60".

All modern VW brakes are floating calipers. These are calipers that
float and move on slider pins. The piston is on one side only and it lets
the rear caliper double as the parking brake. The advantages are: simple,
light, and cheap. Fixed calipers are in a fixed position with pistons that
push on each side of the rotor. These tend to be heavier and more
expensive and are found on more performance oriented cars' 4 or 6 piston
calipers and the aftermarket kits linked below. They cannot be used on the
rear with the stock parking brake mechanism since the caliper is different.
The Jetta TDI also came stock with drum brakes in the rear.

You have three main options for the 4 lug hub: (+1 brake size upgrade) g54 single piston calipers
and carriers from the supercharged Corrado and a few other models, (+2 brake
size upgrade) Girling g60 dual piston calipers and carriers, or converting to 5
lug. Both upgrade
the rotor from 256mm x 20mm (10.1") to 280mm x 22mm (11") corrado G60 rotor.
By using a
larger rotor/carrier, it moves the lever arm of the caliper out, increasing the torque
of the caliper. The corrado single piston caliper may be slightly
wider than the TDI caliper more on this in the next paragraph. The girling g60 caliper uses a dual piston caliper
and a much larger pad. ECS
tuning also sells a porsche boxter brake kit adapter for 4 lug use but you
probably need at least 16" wheels and a wheel spacer to clear the brakes,
more details below.

Please note that the stock passat and jetta g54 calipers may not provide enough clearance if you only
change your brake carrier with the corrado carrier, so it is suggested that you also use corrado
g54 calipers. The corrado G60 "g54" caliper is slightly wider to fit the
2mm wider
rotor in addition to having a longer carrier. The caliper is the same
as early VR6 mk3 cars but is different from the TDI caliper (different part
number). Some stock
TDI g54 calipers will work if the pads are thin enough, otherwise sand them down
slightly. The
corrado VR6 rotor has a different offset and is 5 lug and cannot be used.

The third main choice is to convert to the 5 lug hub. You can buy adapter
plates, a drilled out hub, or convert to the VR6 suspension. If you swap to the 5 lug
VR6 "plus" suspension you can also use the stock (11.3") 280mm x 22 that
came with 1992-1995 VR6 models with corrado carriers/calipers or the stock 288mm x 25mm rotors that came in
1996-1999 mk3 models with the VR6 that came with single piston teves/ATE
calipers. Both of these use larger rotors and slightly larger calipers than the stock
TDI brakes. You can also use Audi TT carriers with a 12.3" rotor on
the 1996-1999 mk3 Jetta if you use the 5 lug conversion. There is also a
Porsche Boxster, AP racing, and Stoptech kit available for the 5 lug suspension, see bottom
for more details and links. Also see 1000q: 4-5 lug
swap for mk3 TDI.

Corrado G60 "g54" caliper/carrier/rotor upgrade

The corrado G60 g54 brake upgrade is the lightest (about 10 lbs each rotor)
and least expensive. It
has the same 54mm brake piston bore as stock so brake pedal movement will be
about the same, but uses a slightly wider g54 caliper and larger carrier to fit the
larger rotor. Parts
availability is better and the calipers weigh less, being a single piston design. You
should not upgrade the brake master cylinder to a larger size, but you may need
a stock sized replacement anyways due on mileage and age.

Girling g60 caliper/carrier/rotor upgrade

The girling g60 is the only 2 piston front brake
"plug and play" upgrade available and provides
the most braking force for a plug-play kit. Piston bore is 60mm, which is larger than
stock so you also need to change the brake master cylinder from the stock (non
ABS) 22mm brake master cylinder to a 25mm VW# 441
611 021 a master cylinder. Again, if you do not have tires that can handle
the added braking force, you could send the car into a brake induced skid so I suggest at least 15x6.5" wide wheels (stock is
14x6") to make sure the wheel can clear the caliper and handle the increased braking force.

The only downside of the girling g60 brakes is cost and weight. They
are more expensive to buy, harder to find, and weigh about 13.5 lbs
each. As mentioned above, you also have to change the brake master
cylinder. To see the installation procedure for the girling g60 brakes, read
1000
answered questions: girling g60 caliper installation. Here is
a picture of the brakes in comparison to the stock brakes (pictured is the stock
smaller g54 next to the larger girling g60 brake)

5 lug hub conversion options

If you have swapped your 4 lug hub for 5 lug hub from a VW VR6, you already
have larger brakes than the stock TDI but also have more aftermarket options.
Below is a table with specs. Also see 1000q: 4-5 lug swap
for mk3 TDI.